Shuva's Mumbai flat attached by ED

Shuvaprasanna, who is close to the ruling Trinamool Congress, has allegedly been evading questioning by probe agencies. ED on Monday attached his Mumbai flat that it had sealed last yearTNN | December 22, 2015, 14:30 IST

KOLKATA: Painter Shuvaprasanna's property, including a flat in Mumbai, were among those attached by Enforcement Directorate in the Saradha case on Monday.

Shuvaprasanna, who is close to the ruling Trinamool Congress, has allegedly been evading questioning by probe agencies. ED on Monday attached his Mumbai flat that it had sealed last year.

"Apart from the flat a few landed properties of the artist have also been attached," said an ED official. Earlier, the agency had frozen 24 bank accounts of Shuvaprasnna.During interrogation, he had told ED that he had taken loans from Devkripa Vyapaar Pvt Ltd - a company where he and daughter Jonaki were directors - to buy the Mumbai flat. But the 2008-09 and 2009-10 balance sheets of Devkripa showed the company as the owner. Shuvaprasanna sold Devkripa, the holding company of a dud TV, to Saradha boss Sudipta Sen in 2011. The painter later told ED that he had repaid the amount by paying Rs 7 lakh more than the principal.

The total value of property attached on Monday adds up to Rs 150 crore and Rs 24 lakh in cash was seized, say sources. Among this are four bungalows in Mumbai, Delhi and Assam jointly owned by former UPA minister Matang Sinh and his estranged wife Manoranjana, say ED officials. Both Matang and Manoranjana made a series of deals with Saradha Group. The agency had attached properties worth around Rs 100 crore allegedly belonging to Matang earlier this year. It included two prime properties in New Delhi and one in Noida.

It has also attached properties of former media bosses Ramesh Gandhi and Rathikanta Basu. Bro adcast Worldwide Ltd, a company owned by Basu, has been attached Apart from that, properties of a jo urnalist has also been attached.

In September this year, market regulator Sebi had ordered attach ment of 134 Saradha properties worth Rs 774 crore. ED had questio ned the validity of the attachment order. ED, which started the Sarad ha investigation, has made six at tachments so far amounting to mo re than Rs 650 crore. "This (Monday's operation) is one of the lar gest attachments we have made," said an ED official. The agency may issue another attachment order this fiscal.